This invention relates to disposing a center contact in a coaxial contact, and in particular to a two-piece dielectric insert for positioning a center contact in a coaxial contact and for insulating the center contact from the surrounding conductive shell.
Dielectric inserts used to position a center contact in a coaxial contact have typically been annular in structure, taking the shape of a cylinder with a bore through the center. The center coaxial contact is passed partially through the bore and secured. A necessary result is that the diameter of the bore must be large enough to accommodate the largest cross section of the contact portion passed into or through the bore.
There is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,699,504 an open barrel coaxial cable terminal including a sleeve formed from a dielectric material having resilient buttons for insertion into and snap-in retention in a sleeve portion. The sleeve portion of the terminal is freely insertable within the inner diameter portion of the dielectric sleeve.
It would be desirable to have a dielectric insert to position a center coaxial contact that does not require passing the center contact through a central bore and would provide for a passage through the insert commensurate with the varying cross section of the contact to be received therein. Such an insert would more accurately align and hold the contact in a desired position.